She Paints Pain

Chapter 26

Everything was a blur. Most of what happened was black because of my hyperventilating and I kept seeing stars and falling down and crying my eyes out. Eventually they put me behind metal bars, much like a tiger’s cage and I sat in the corner, continuing to cry.

          I have no idea where Chloe is, but I’m hoping she’s okay. I know she’s a strong woman; she would fight her way out of here, especially since she’s now a mom protecting her child. Maybe she’ll be able to get out of here.

          Jackson should have been here by now, he should have found the apartment empty and realized we were kidnapped. Jackson knows everything; he should know where we are. He should save us.

          A creaking noise had me backing up further to the wall and bringing my knees up to my chest, trying to stay silent. There were several footsteps and numerous voices, chilling me to the core.

          Someone in black stepped up to the entrance and another man opened it for him. When the first man I spotted stepped into the cage with the light above his figure, I screamed my lungs out. I screamed and screamed and begged for someone to get me out.

          It was my dad.

          He smiled like he just saw his mate for the first time and I felt sick that he still saw me as my mom. We look nothing alike, maybe a few common features here and there, but nothing obvious.

          “Michelle.” He breathed, causing me to throw myself against the metal bars and beg for one of the men to let me out. I couldn’t do this. I was going to die in the hands of my father. The worst possible death has been saved especially for me.

          “Help! Please let me out. He’s going to hurt me, please!” I yelled, everything a blur from the waterfall of tears in my eyes.

          I used to be able to keep my mouth shut and suck it up, accepting my life with my father. But now I was shown a life without him and I refused to go back to this. I couldn’t do this anymore.

          “Michelle, come here. I missed you so much.” He cooed, reaching his arms out for me.

          I backed up into the corner and screamed again, thrashing my legs and closing my eyes. I can’t let him hurt me again. It’ll ruin me for good.

          “Michelle!” he shouted.

          My eyes almost popped out of my head. His voice. His posture. His expression. He wanted to hurt me. He is going to hurt me because I didn’t accept him like he wanted. I’m dead.

          But maybe that’s not a bad thing.

          “Daddy, please. I’m sorry. Don’t hurt me, please.”

          I closed my eyes as he launched forward and grabbed my hair, dragging me to the middle of the enclosure. His fist hit my face and I begged for him to stop until my lips were swollen and I couldn’t talk.

          My eyes swelled closed as he continued taking out his anger on me and even kicking me in the stomach a few times. I threw up blood on the floor and my wrist snapped as I tried to stop one of his hands.

          Eventually he was satisfied and left without a backwards glance. The door clicked shut and all the men shuffled out of the basement, leaving me broken and bruised in a pool of my own blood, crying for Jackson.

***

          I don’t know how long they left me down there for but it felt like days. Every bone in my body hurt, but only a few I was certain were broken. My face felt like an inflated purple balloon and I wanted him to kill me already.